Background: Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939 and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of isolated communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents.

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 20 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 28,748 km²
Land: 27,398 km²
Water: 1,350 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 691 km
Border countries: (4) Greece 212 km; Kosovo 112 km; North Macedonia 181 km; Montenegro 186 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Elevation
Highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m
Lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 708 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 42.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 22.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 28.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 28.2% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,820 km² (2020)

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 550 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 30.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

Geography
Note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

Population
Distribution: a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country: 3,101,621 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.19% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 14.3% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Albanian(s)
Adjective: Albanian

Ethnic groups: Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)
Note: data represent population by ethnic and cultural affiliation

Languages: Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% (2011 est.)
Note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.9% (male 290,624/female 264,536)
15-64 years: 67.53% (male 1,030,436/female 1,064,217)
65 years and over: 14.57% (2023 est.) (male 207,960/female 243,848)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 48.2
Youth dependency ratio: 24.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 24.1
Potential support ratio: 4.2 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 35.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 34.3 years
Female: 37.2 years

Population growth rate: 0.19% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 12.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

Urbanization
Urban population: 64.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 520,000 TIRANA (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents; air pollution from industrial and power plants; loss of biodiversity due to lack of resources for sound environmental management
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 16.28 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 4.54 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.55 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 26.6 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 11.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 9.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.7 years (2023 est.)
Male: 77 years
Female: 82.6 years

Total fertility rate: 1.55 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 46% (2017/18)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 97.3% of population
Improved rural: 96.4% of population
Improved total: 97% of population
Unimproved urban: 2.7% of population
Unimproved rural: 3.6% of population
Unimproved total: 3% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.7% of GDP (2018)

Physicians density: 1.88 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 2.9 beds/1,000 population (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.7% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 4.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 1.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 22.4% (2020 est.)
Male: 38.8% (2020 est.)
Female: 6% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.5% (2017/18)

Education expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.4%
Male: 98.7%
Female: 98.2% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 15 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 27.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 28%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 27.6%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Albania
Conventional short form: Albania
Local long form: Republika e Shqiperise
Local short form: Shqiperia
Former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Etymology: the English-language country name seems to be derived from the ancient Illyrian tribe of the Albani; the native name "Shqiperia" is derived from the Albanian word "Shqiponje" ("Eagle") and is popularly interpreted to mean "Land of the Eagles"

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Tirana (Tirane)
Geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: the name Tirana first appears in a 1418 Venetian document; the origin of the name is unclear, but may derive from Tirkan Fortress, whose ruins survive on the slopes of Dajti mountain and which overlooks the city

Administrative divisions: 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane (Tirana), Vlore

Independence: 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912), also known as Flag Day

Constitution
History: several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998
Amendments: proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of the Assembly; amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic; amended several times, last in 2020

Legal system: civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" is still present

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022)
Head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Arben AHMETAJ (since 18 September 2021)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); a candidate needs three-fifths majority vote of the Assembly in 1 of 3 rounds or a simple majority in 2 additional rounds to become president; election last held in 4 rounds on 16, 23, and 30 May and 4 June 2022 (next election to be held in 2,027); prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open party-list proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 25 April 2021 (next to be held in 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - PS 48.7%, PD-Alliance for Change 39.4%, LSI 6.8%, PSD 2.3%, other 2.8%; seats by party/coalition - PS 74, PD-Alliance for Change 59, LSI 4, PSD 3; composition as of August 2023 - men 90, women 50, percent of women 35.7%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 19 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Judicial Council with the consent of the president to serve single 9-year terms; Supreme Court chairman is elected for a single 3-year term by the court members; appointments of Constitutional Court judges are rotated among the president, Parliament, and Supreme Court from a list of pre-qualified candidates (each institution selects 3 judges), to serve single 9-year terms; candidates are pre-qualified by a randomly selected body of experienced judges and prosecutors; Constitutional Court chairman is elected by the court members for a single, renewable 3-year term
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; specialized courts: Court for Corruption and Organized Crime, Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (responsible for corruption, organized crime, and crimes of high officials)

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Note: Albania is an EU candidate country whose satisfactory completion of accession criteria is required before being granted full EU membership

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ervin BUSHATI (since 15 September 2023)
In the us chancery: 2,100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 223-4,942
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 628-7,342
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David WISNER (since August 2023)
From the us embassy: Rruga Stavro Vinjau, No. 14, Tirana
From the us mailing address: 9,510 Tirana Place, Washington DC 20,521-9,510
From the us telephone: [355] 4 2,247-285
From the us FAX: [355] 4 2,232-222
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero Georgi Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Ottoman Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shqiptare," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

National symbols: black double-headed eagle; national colors: red, black

National anthem
Name: "Hymni i Flamurit" (Hymn to the Flag)
Lyrics/music: Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU
Note: adopted 1912

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 4 (2 cultural, 1 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy overview: future hopeful EU member state; oil and gas exporter but investing toward a “blue economy”; COVID-19 and earthquake economic disruptions and declines; experiencing high debt and account balances; strengthening private sector growth and public sector trust

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 78.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 25.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 31.5% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -46.6% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 21.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 24.2% (2017 est.)
Services: 54.1% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: milk, maize, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons, wheat, grapes, cucumbers, onions, apples

Industries: food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

Industrial production growth rate: 16% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 1.378 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Note: these official rates may not include those working at near-subsistence farming

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 27.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 28%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 27.6%

Population below poverty line: 14.3% (2012 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 30.8 (2019 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 4.1%
Highest 10%: 19.6% (2015 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $4.19 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $4.489 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 17.02% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.18% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Italy 45%, Spain 8%, Germany 6%, Greece 5%, France 4%, China 4% (2019)
Commodities: leather footwear and parts, electricity, crude petroleum, iron alloys, clothing, insulated wiring (2021)
Commodities note: Albanian cannabis production remains a significant illicit trade export

Imports:
Partners: Italy 28%, Greece 12%, China 11%, Turkey 9%, Germany 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, tanned hides, packaged medical supplies, footwear parts (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2020)
Installed generating capacity: 2.531 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 6,527,980,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 963 million kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 3.239 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 1.054 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 99.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 9,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 119,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 110,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 522 million metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 16,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 26,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 10,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 150 million barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 5,638 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 3,250 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 26,660 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 42.05 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 42.05 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 5.692 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 3.794 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 235,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 3.482 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 78,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 38.442 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 177,152 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2,635,466 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 92 (2021 est.)

Broadcast media: Albania has more than 65 TV stations, including several that broadcast nationally; Albanian TV broadcasts are also available to Albanian-speaking populations in neighboring countries; many viewers have access to Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; Albania's TV stations have begun a government-mandated conversion from analog to digital broadcast; the government has pledged to provide analog-to-digital converters to low-income families affected by this decision; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 78 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2019)

Internet
Country code: .al
Users total: 2.291 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 79% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 508,937 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note: the State Police are primarily responsible for internal security, including counterterrorism, while the Guard of the Republic protects senior state officials, foreign dignitaries, and certain state properties

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 (up to 32 in some cases) for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2010 (2023)
Note: as of 2023, women comprised about 15% of the military's full-time personnel, including 20% of the officers

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 303,137 (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ZA

Airports: 3 (2021)
With paved runways: 3
With paved runways civil airports: 0
With paved runways military airports: 1
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 1
With paved runways other airports: 1
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Pipelines: 498 km gas (a majority of the network is in disrepair and parts of it are missing), 249 km oil (2015)

Roadways
Total: 3,945 km (2018)
Paved: (2002)
Unpaved: (2002)

Waterways: 41 km (2011) (on the Bojana River)

Merchant marine
Total: 69 (2022)
By type: general cargo 47, oil tanker 1, other 21

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 7,495 (Ukraine) (as of 7 November 2023)
Stateless persons: 1,948 (2022)
Note: 46,944 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-October 2023)

Illicit drugs: a source country for cannabis and an active transshipment point for Albanian narco-trafficking organizations moving illicit drugs into European markets